Race cars and motorsports have evolved from stripped-down stock cars driving on ad hoc tracks, to the sleek, technologically advanced, but no-less-exhilarating racing of today. But how has the past informed contemporary motorsports?

To find out, we tracked down two drivers to talk us through these changes. Experienced racer Jeff Zwart has seen his fair share of checkered flags. Alec Udell, on the other hand, is just starting out. Watch the video to get their thoughts on racing’s evolution.

Nandita Raghuram is a Senior Writer at Studio@Gizmodo. She tweets here.